where jess ate

Since opening up Amaya Indian Room (@amayarestaurant) back in 2007, Chef Hemant Bhagwani’s Amaya restaurant empire has come a long way.

In addition to his flagship Amaya Indian Room location, there’s Amaya Bread Bar (Lawrence Park), a number of Amaya Express’, Amaya food court locations, Amaya Catering and Amaya Gourmet (a line of natural Indian food). Needless to say, Chef and owner Bhagwani has been incredibly busy in the past few years.

Located in Leaside, I dropped by Amaya Indian Room to check out some of their new menu offerings. The warm and cozy space has a sophisticated feel to it, just like the food they serve.

Dish after dish, we were all impressed with their new menu offerings. Just take a look at these gorgeous dishes:

Mango & Fennel Lassi – Greek yoghurt with fresh mango pulp and fennel seeds

Yogurt & Pomegranate Amuse

Prawn Papdi Chaat

Crispy Kale Pakora – lemon wedge & mint yogurt chutney

Amritsari Cod – a Punjabi dish with garlic & green pea chutney & citrus air

Tandoor Chicken Tikka – Chicken tikka marinated with black mustard seeds, curry leaves, crispy milk fritters & saffron dip

Saffron Chicken Korma – with pistachios, oranges & kumquat

Ghee Roast Lamb Tenderloin – with wasabi ice cream

Spiced Prawns – with coconut snow

Eggplant Steak – with potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, mustard & yogurt chutney

Smoked Bacon & Lamb Naan

Onion & Sage Naan

Pilaf Himalayan Basmati

Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream – with crushed pistachios and saffron caviar

I can honestly say that I enjoyed everything we were served so I’ll talk about a few highlights. One of my favourites was the Prawn Papdi Chaat which was similar to a Mexican tostada. The sauce was a mixture of many different flavours but it all worked together to make one cohesive and ridiculously delicious bite.

A must-order is the Tandoor Chicken Tikka. I really don’t like white meat so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. The meat was packed full of flavour from the tasty marinade and most importantly, the chicken was juicy. It made me forget that I was eating chicken breast. I also have to mention those crispy milk and cheese fritters that accompanied the meat. I could’ve eaten an entire serving of them – delish!

When our server informed us that the Ghee Roast Lamb Tenderloin was topped with wasabi ice cream, I was really skeptical. Turns out, I had no reason to be. The wasabi paired surprisingly well with the lamb, which was cooked to perfection.

When I think of vegetarian food, my mind immediately goes to light salads. The Eggplant Steak definitely isn’t a light vegetarian dish. Packed with potatoes, cauliflower and carrots, it’s one hearty and filling dish. This was another surprising favourite of mine given my carnivorous ways.

The food at Amaya is unlike any other Indian food I’ve eaten. Chef Bhagwani has created a menu of wonderfully creative and innovative dishes which are a delight to look at as well as eat!

*This was a complimentary meal. The opinions in the post, as always, are my own.*